I get the anger; I think this is misguided. I know this will be distinctly unpopular (bye-bye karma!)
SWEs in general have been paid significantly higher salaries for decades in part because of the skill level needed and that they are generally working on capital projects (build new thing) vs operational projects (maintain thing built). It's the difference between needing a Landscaper to come in a completely reshape a bit of land for £10k once, and Gardener to come in a mow/prune once a week for £10. Most salaried SWEs don't necessarily see that every project they work on is a new patch of land to be landscaped; those who've contracted do.
SWEs have been effectively paid this "danger money" because of that inherent volatility in projects being shut down, which has been there since the dot com bubble but is now amplified because of the relative size of the tech sector.
The skills barrier which has been eroded in part by the lack of professional standards (anyone who can edit a PHP script can call themselves an SWE vs a Chartered Accountant which has to be certified), and now explicitly because of AI.
In some ways this just looks like "FOSS for Angry Millennials" without the understanding of the further damage that this will do to them and their industry. These are the forces its trying to get revenge for: (a) high inflationary creating risky environments for businesses to navigate, (b) tax changes which have impacted how organisations pay for SWEs, (c) AI offering "efficiencies" in all parts of the value chain, (d) the demand for ever-growing returns by shareholders as we enter the end-state of neoliberalism.
None of that is improved by this movement. Regardless of what you think of them, the original Occupy movement made it impossible for the people responsible for the crash to not be aware of/somewhat put out by those impacted by the crash. This is Just Another Open Source project. The way for those impacted is: (a) keep their skills sharp by helping charity projects that need the volunteer support; (b) get active politically on a local level; (c) use the time to start their own businesses with others.
There is a firmament that is needed on which all tech grows like Linux which is a good thing. This is not good for the Landscapers or the Gardeners, nor does it fix the issues which have led to the layoffs.
SWEs in general have been paid significantly higher salaries for decades in part because of the skill level needed and that they are generally working on capital projects (build new thing) vs operational projects (maintain thing built). It's the difference between needing a Landscaper to come in a completely reshape a bit of land for £10k once, and Gardener to come in a mow/prune once a week for £10. Most salaried SWEs don't necessarily see that every project they work on is a new patch of land to be landscaped; those who've contracted do.
SWEs have been effectively paid this "danger money" because of that inherent volatility in projects being shut down, which has been there since the dot com bubble but is now amplified because of the relative size of the tech sector.
The skills barrier which has been eroded in part by the lack of professional standards (anyone who can edit a PHP script can call themselves an SWE vs a Chartered Accountant which has to be certified), and now explicitly because of AI.
In some ways this just looks like "FOSS for Angry Millennials" without the understanding of the further damage that this will do to them and their industry. These are the forces its trying to get revenge for: (a) high inflationary creating risky environments for businesses to navigate, (b) tax changes which have impacted how organisations pay for SWEs, (c) AI offering "efficiencies" in all parts of the value chain, (d) the demand for ever-growing returns by shareholders as we enter the end-state of neoliberalism.
None of that is improved by this movement. Regardless of what you think of them, the original Occupy movement made it impossible for the people responsible for the crash to not be aware of/somewhat put out by those impacted by the crash. This is Just Another Open Source project. The way for those impacted is: (a) keep their skills sharp by helping charity projects that need the volunteer support; (b) get active politically on a local level; (c) use the time to start their own businesses with others.
There is a firmament that is needed on which all tech grows like Linux which is a good thing. This is not good for the Landscapers or the Gardeners, nor does it fix the issues which have led to the layoffs.